Dutch oven substitutes

Dutch oven substitutes — 6 options, ranked

Also called French oven, cocotte, enameled cast iron pot

Use thisBest of 6 options

Use Oven-safe stockpot with lid

A heavy-bottomed stainless steel stockpot or soup pot goes from burner to oven the way a Dutch oven does, with less heat held in its walls.

For braises, stews and soups, use any heavy oven-safe pot with a lid, such as a stainless steel stockpot, and press a sheet of foil or parchment under the lid to tighten the seal. Thinner pots scorch more easily, so brown over medium heat and braise at 300 to 325°F. For no-knead bread, bake the loaf on a preheated baking stone or heavy baking sheet under an upside-down deep roasting pan or steel bowl for the first 20 to 30 minutes. A slow cooker handles the braise but cannot brown the meat or bake the bread.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Check that the handles and lid knob are metal, not plastic, and that the maker rates the pot and the lid for the oven; that rating is the limit, and glass lids are often rated lower than the pot. Brown in batches over medium heat, add the liquid, lay a sheet of foil or parchment over the pot, press the lid on over it, and braise at 300 to 325°F. Check the liquid level once, about halfway through.
Best for —: braises, pot roast and stews
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps

But first: what’s the Dutch oven doing?

Pick your case

What is the Dutch oven cooking?

Use a heavy oven-safe stockpot with foil or parchment under its lid. With no oven-safe pot, brown in a skillet and move everything to a tightly covered baking dish at 300 to 325°F.
Notes on oven-safe stockpot with lid or skillet + covered baking dish
Bake on a preheated stone or heavy baking sheet at 450°F under an upside-down metal roasting pan or bowl for the first 20 to 30 minutes. With nothing to cover the loaf, add 1 cup of hot water to a pan on the rack below.
Notes on baking stone + upside-down pan or baking sheet + pan of hot water
Use a slow cooker: brown the meat in a skillet first, cut the liquid by about a third, and allow 8 to 10 hours on low.
Notes on slow cooker
An electric pressure cooker browns and braises in one pot. Start at about one-third of the oven time, with at least 1 cup of liquid.
Notes on electric pressure cooker
Any heavy stockpot does this. Stir a thick stew more often, and for frying fill the pot no more than half full of oil.
Notes on oven-safe stockpot with lid

A Dutch oven is one pot doing three things. Its wide, heavy base browns meat on the stove without scorching. Its thick walls and tight lid hold an even, moist heat for hours in the oven, so a braise barely loses liquid. And heated empty to 450°F, it turns into a small steam oven: a wet bread dough dropped inside steams itself under the lid, which is what gives no-knead bread its blistered crust. No single substitute does all three, so pick by the job.

Every option, one card

Ranked

Dutch Oven substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of Dutch oven	Verdict
1	Oven-safe stockpot with lidbraises, pot roast and stews	See notesTweak it	Tweak it
2	Skillet + covered baking dishpot roast and braised short ribs	See notesTweak it	Tweak it
3	Slow cookerpot roast, pulled pork and short ribs	See notesTweak it	Tweak it
4	Electric pressure cookerpot roast and short ribs	See notesTweak it	Tweak it
5	Baking stone + upside-down panno-knead bread	See notesTweak it	Tweak it
6	Baking sheet + pan of hot waterno-knead bread	See notesYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Glass or ceramic dish preheated empty	not a swapNot for this	Not for this
Not a swap	Nonstick pot or one with plastic handles	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option6 options

Oven-safe stockpot with lid

A heavy-bottomed stainless steel stockpot or soup pot goes from burner to oven the way a Dutch oven does, with less heat held in its walls.

Best for: braises, pot roast and stews, soups and chili, boiling and deep frying, beans
Texture: the same when the lid is sealed; slightly less browning
Prep: Check that the handles and lid knob are metal, not plastic, and that the maker rates the pot and the lid for the oven; that rating is the limit, and glass lids are often rated lower than the pot. Brown in batches over medium heat, add the liquid, lay a sheet of foil or parchment over the pot, press the lid on over it, and braise at 300 to 325°F. Check the liquid level once, about halfway through.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

Thin walls lose heat fast and the bottom has hot spots, so fond burns sooner and a stew on the stove needs stirring. A tall, narrow pot browns less meat at a time than a wide Dutch oven. For deep frying, fill it no more than half full of oil and clip on a thermometer, because the oil temperature swings more.

Skillet + covered baking dish

Splits the Dutch oven's two jobs between two pans: a skillet does the browning on the stove, and a deep baking dish or roasting pan, covered tightly, does the slow cooking in the oven.

Best for: pot roast and braised short ribs, braised chicken thighs, oven stews, baked beans
Texture: the same; sauce may need reducing separately
Prep: Brown the meat and vegetables in the skillet, pour in some of the braising liquid, and scrape up the browned bits. Transfer everything to a deep baking dish or roasting pan, cover it tightly with foil or an upside-down baking sheet, and braise at 300 to 325°F for the recipe's time.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

A wide, shallow dish exposes more surface, so liquid cooks off faster: start with the meat about halfway submerged and check once. The dish cannot go back on a burner to reduce the sauce, so pour the liquid into the skillet to finish it. A glass or ceramic dish must never go on a burner or under the broiler.

Slow cooker

milder, with less browned flavor

Holds a low, moist heat for hours with no attention, which is the oven half of what a Dutch oven does.

Best for: pot roast, pulled pork and short ribs, stews and chili, beans, soups
Texture: very tender meat, thinner sauce
Prep: Brown the meat in a skillet first. Cut the recipe's liquid by about a third, because almost nothing evaporates under a slow cooker lid. A braise that takes 2 to 3 hours in a 325°F oven takes about 4 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

It cannot brown, sear or reduce, so the sauce comes out thinner and paler unless you brown first and simmer the liquid down in a saucepan at the end. It cannot bake bread or deep fry. Dried red kidney beans must be boiled for at least 10 minutes on the stove before they go in a slow cooker.

Electric pressure cooker

An Instant Pot or similar cooker browns on its saute setting and then cooks a braise under pressure in a fraction of the oven time.

Best for: pot roast and short ribs, stews and chili, dried beans, stock
Texture: tender meat, thin sauce until reduced
Prep: Brown on the saute setting, then add at least 1 cup of thin liquid so the pot can build pressure. As a starting point, cook for about one-third of the oven braising time, then let the pressure release on its own for 10 to 15 minutes before opening.

No liquid evaporates, so cut the recipe's liquid as you would for a slow cooker and thicken the sauce on the saute setting afterward. You cannot check or taste while it cooks. Flour-thickened or dairy-heavy sauces scorch on the bottom and stop the pot from sealing: add those after cooking. It does not bake bread.

Baking stone + upside-down pan

For bread.

A hot stone, steel or heavy baking sheet stands in for the Dutch oven's base, and a deep metal pan or bowl turned over the loaf traps the dough's own steam the way the lid does.

Best for: no-knead bread, sourdough boules, crusty artisan loaves
Texture: slightly thinner crust, a wider and lower loaf
Prep: Preheat the stone or an upside-down heavy baking sheet at 450°F for 30 to 45 minutes. Slide the loaf onto it on a sheet of parchment, cover it at once with an upside-down deep roasting pan, disposable foil roasting pan or stainless steel bowl, and bake 20 to 30 minutes. Lift off the cover with oven mitts and bake 15 to 25 minutes more, until deep brown.

The cover has to be all metal and tall enough to clear the risen loaf. The seal is looser than a Dutch oven lid, so the crust is a little thinner and blisters less. A wet dough spreads wider without pot walls to hold it.

Baking sheet + pan of hot water

For bread, when there is nothing to cover the loaf with.

Steam from a pan of water on a lower rack keeps the crust soft long enough for the loaf to expand.

Best for: no-knead bread, crusty rolls and baguettes, free-form loaves
Texture: thinner, less crackly crust; lower rise
Prep: Put a heavy baking sheet on the middle rack and an empty metal pan or cast iron skillet on the rack below, and preheat to 450°F. Slide the loaf on parchment onto the hot sheet, pour 1 cup of hot water into the lower pan, and shut the door quickly. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until deep brown.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

A home oven vents steam, so the crust is thinner and duller than a Dutch oven loaf and the loaf rises less. Pour the water with a long-spouted cup and an oven mitt on, standing back from the steam. Use a metal pan for the water, never glass, and do not pour water onto the oven floor or door glass.

Glass or ceramic dish preheated empty

not applicable

A covered glass casserole looks like the obvious stand-in for baking bread and is the one to avoid.

Best for: nothing baked by the preheated-pot method
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

Dutch oven bread goes into a pot that has been heated empty to 450°F. Glass bakeware is not made to be heated empty or to have cool, wet dough dropped into it when hot; the sudden temperature change can shatter it. The same goes for stoneware that the maker does not rate for empty preheating. An oven-safe glass or ceramic dish is fine for a braise that is assembled in the room-temperature dish and then put into a preheated oven.

Nonstick pot or one with plastic handles

not applicable

Common pots that work on the stove and fail in a hot oven.

Best for: stovetop soups and stews only
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

Plastic handles and lid knobs melt in the oven. Nonstick coatings are rated by their makers to a maximum oven temperature, often 400 to 500°F, and should not be preheated empty, which rules them out for 450°F bread. Either pot is fine for a stew that stays on the burner.

Don’t swap it here

2 cases

SafetyPreheating an empty glass casserole or lidded glass dish to 450°F for bread.Bake the loaf on a preheated metal baking sheet under an upside-down metal roasting pan.
SafetyDeep frying in a slow cooker or a sealed pressure cooker.Fry in a heavy stockpot on the stove, no more than half full, with a thermometer.

Questions

6 questions

What can I use if I don't have a Dutch oven?

For braises, stews and soups, a heavy oven-safe stockpot or soup pot with a lid, sealed with a sheet of foil under the lid. If no pot you own can go in the oven, brown the food in a skillet and finish it in a deep baking dish covered tightly with foil at 300 to 325°F. A slow cooker or an electric pressure cooker also makes the same dishes, with less browning and a thinner sauce.

What can I use instead of a Dutch oven for bread?

A preheated baking stone, baking steel or heavy upside-down baking sheet, with a deep metal roasting pan, disposable foil roasting pan or stainless steel bowl turned over the loaf. Preheat at 450°F for 30 to 45 minutes, bake covered for 20 to 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 to 25 minutes more. The cover traps the dough's steam the way a Dutch oven lid does. With nothing to cover the loaf, pour 1 cup of hot water into a metal pan on the rack below; the crust will be thinner.

Can I use a slow cooker instead of a Dutch oven?

For braises, stews, beans and chili, yes. Brown the meat in a skillet first, because a slow cooker does not sear. Cut the liquid by about a third, since nothing evaporates. A 2 to 3 hour oven braise takes about 4 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low. It will not bake crusty bread, sear or deep fry.

Can I use a regular pot instead of a Dutch oven?

Yes, if it is heavy-bottomed and has a lid, and for oven recipes only if every part of it is oven-safe, with no plastic handles or knobs. The maker's oven rating for the pot and lid is the limit. Use medium heat for browning, since thinner metal scorches sooner, and seal the lid with foil for long braises.

Can I use a glass casserole dish instead of a Dutch oven?

For a braise that is assembled in the room-temperature dish, put into a preheated oven and kept covered, yes: an oven-safe covered glass or ceramic casserole works, though it cannot go on a burner for browning. For bread baked in a preheated pot, no. Glass should not be heated empty and then loaded with cool dough, because it can shatter.

Does a cast iron skillet work in place of a Dutch oven?

For browning and for shallow braises that fit, yes: brown in the skillet, add liquid no more than halfway up the pan, cover tightly with foil or a lid, and finish in a 300 to 325°F oven. It is too shallow for soup, a whole pot roast or deep frying.

Tips for substituting Dutch oven

5 tips

Before a pot goes in the oven, check the maker's oven limit for the pot, the lid and the knob separately. Some lid knobs are rated lower than the pot they sit on.
To tighten a loose lid, lay a sheet of parchment or foil over the pot and press the lid down on top of it. A braise should lose very little liquid over 3 hours.
Brown meat in batches that cover no more than two-thirds of the pot's base. A crowded thin pot steams the meat instead of browning it.
For bread without a Dutch oven, lower the loaf onto the hot stone or sheet on a sheet of parchment. It keeps your hands away from the hot surface and stops the dough from sticking. Trim the paper close to the loaf and check the temperature on its box, usually 420 to 450°F; past that it darkens and turns brittle.
When moving a braise to a slow cooker or pressure cooker, start with about a third less liquid than the oven recipe calls for, then simmer the sauce uncovered at the end if it is thin.

Dutch oven substitute: use oven-safe stockpot with lid. — The Dutch oven card, to save or send